2019, the year of foldable smartphones?

Oppo has filed the patent for a smartphone capable of becoming a tablet. - LetsGoDigital

Oppo has filed the patent for a smartphone capable of becoming a tablet. – LetsGoDigital

Samsung, Huawei, LG or Oppo … All have in common to work on foldable smartphones. The edge-to-edge screens were the stars of 2017. The foldable screens might well pique them in 2019.

You often watch videos on your smartphone, while complaining about the size of your screen? Foldable smartphones could change your life.

With new screen technologies, manufacturers are preparing for the launch of small devices that could expand depending on your use. To put it simply: one can imagine a smartphone of normal size which, once unfolded, would occupy the surface of a small tablet. Samsung and Huawei would already be preparing for such product launches, and other companies such as LG, Motorola or Oppo would also be looking into this issue.

Samsung and Huawei announced duel

In 2019, Samsung will release the Galaxy X. A smartphone with two or three screens, which would take the form of the old mobile clamshell to allow its transformation. According to rumors, it could be sold 1600 euros, and therefore be limited to a small market launch.

Samsung thought he was alone, but the competition does not intend to give him a gift. To prevent the Korean from being the first to propose a revolutionary technology, the Chinese Huawei would plan to present its folding device as soon as … end of 2018. A huge duel between two companies that compete for the top of the podium, which should only benefit the ‘technological innovation.

LG, Motorola, and Oppo… Patents as Indicators

Samsung and Huawei seem to be ahead of the competition, but other manufacturers also have the technology to launch this type of device. Latest: LG. The Korean brand has patented a deformable hinge technology similar to that of the Surface Book, as noted by the website LetsGoDigital.

US Patent and Trademark Office – The patents filed by LG.

With this technology, LG could in turn launch a foldable smartphone within a few months. It is also the latter who would manufacture the OLED screens of the future Huawei smartphone according to ET News.

In early June Motorola was also introducing a technology identical to that of LG. A few days ago, the Chinese Oppo joined other companies with even more ambitious concepts such as a foldable smartphone equipped with an airbag, or another equipped with three retractable screens. The idea of the brand remains the same as competitors: unfolded, the smartphone becomes a tablet.

LetsGoDigital – Motorola Foldable Camera Concept.

Should we expect a new revolution in the world of smartphones? Perhaps. If all the builders mentioned may not be ready this year, folding screens are taken seriously by companies. According to CNBC, Apple would also prepare a collapsible iPhone for 2020. A rumor that obviously remains to be confirmed, but that could push the competition to accelerate.